Trial for the Death of Robert Sheldon

THIS MORNING—the court trial for the death of Robert Sheldon was held. . Sheldon was murdered on September 28, 1965 by the fountain in Central Park. He was only 17 when his life was cut short.. His funeral took place at the ‘Middleton Funeral Home’ a few days ago.

The murderer of this young man was Johnny Cade, who passed away in the ‘Windrixville Memorial Hospital’ a few days ago.  Cade stabbed Sheldon in order to get him to stop drowning Cade’s friend, Ponyboy Curtis. Cade and Curtis are both known as heroes for saving many young children from a fire after they fled town to escape police because Cade killed Sheldon. A piece of wood fell on Cade during the fire and paralyzed him; he did not live through it.

During the trial, Robert’s friends told the judge that they saw Cade kill Sheldon but only because Sheldon was drowning Curtis. Sherri Valance, Sheldon’s girlfriend, was called up to talk and while talking about Robert she let a few tears fall from her eyes.

Ponyboy Curtis, the boy who Sheldon tried to drown, was called up. Instead of asking Curtis of what happened the night Sheldon was stabbed, the judge asked him about how he liked his home and his brothers to which he replied that he liked his brothers and his home.  Curtis’s doctor spoke to the judge and said that Curtis was in no condition to be answering any serious questions because his mind was mixed up.

In the end, the homicide was declared self-defense and everyone went home knowing that what happened was for the best. Sheldon was murdered but he was trying to drown Curtis so what was done, had to be done.

Interview by Kate Howell with Ponyboy Curtis

This morning, reporter, Kate Howell went to visit Ponyboy Curtis, 14, for an interview.

 Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade, 16, are known as legendary heroes for saving several young children from a church fire on Jay Mountain. Curtis got out without any serious injuries but Cade suffered from 3^rd degree burns, a broken back and he was also paralyzed from the waist down. A few days ago, Cade passed away in the hospital right in front Curtis. Cade managed to say a few words before he died and we had an interview with Curtis to see what they were.

Here is the interview by Kate Howell with Ponyboy Curtis:

When asked about how he was doing and how he liked living with his two brothers, Curtis replied, “I’m doing fine and living with my brothers is lots of fun. We get along fine and Darry, my oldest brother, works two jobs just to make money for me and Sodapop.”                               “Well, let’s move on to Johnny Cade, your best friend. I have heard that his parents are very abusive, is this true?” asked Howell.

“Of Course! You can hear them yellin’ an’ swearin’ an’ beatin’ him from 10 blocks away! He usually got ignored. Sometimes he would stay at our house for the night and for the other nights; he would just stay in an empty lot. He told me once that he would rather get hit by his careless old man than bein’ ignored. There’s nothing worse than that.”

Howell asked how Curtis and Cade had decided to save the children from the burning church because it must have been a hard decision to risk their lives over.

To which Ponyboy replied, “Well, we didn’t really decide, we just ran towards the church and I heard that some kids were missing and me and…Johnny went to rescue ‘em.”

After that, Howell asked about Cade’s last words, how inspiration they were and what they meant to Ponyboy.

“Johnny’s last words were… ‘stay gold Ponyboy. Stay gold’ and to me that means that he just wanted me to stay innocent and just like the way I am right now, reading, watching sunsets and movies. He ain’t wantin’ me to turn out like how he did. But what he did ain’t his fault. Anyways, he was referring to Robert Frost’s poem, ‘Nothing Gold Can Say.’

“I feel real bad now that Johnnycake’s gone…he was my best friend and I really miss him but I’m also happy that we saved the lives of those little kids” Ponyboy replied when asked of how he felt now that Cade was gone.

After that, the interview was over and Howell thanked Ponyboy for answering the questions.

 You can tell by listening to this interview that Ponyboy is still grieving over the loss of his beloved friend, Johnny Cade, but it looks like there is still hope for this young man. 

Sherri Valance- Speaking about Robert Sheldon’s Death

On Wednesday, November 22^th, ‘The Outsider Times’ got an exclusive interview with Sherri Valance, who was very close to a murdered boy, Robert Sheldon.

Sheldon and his friends were drunk and decided to go to Central Park, around 3-4am.At the park, they noticed two boys walking, Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade. Sheldon, who was angry at the boys for hanging out with his girlfriend (Sherri Valance), got hold of Curtis’ head and guided it towards the fountain, and tried to drown him.

Cade watched in horror as his best friend was getting drowned. He pulled out his switch blade, which he carried in his pocket, and stabbed Sheldon in the back to save his friend. As Sheldon laid there by the fountain in a pool of blood, his friends fled the scene.

The next thing we know, Sheldon was found dead beside the fountain. Cade and Curtis fled to Jay Mountain, to hide from police, while Sheldon’s body lay there. Police tried but could not find any leads to where the boys could be.

After Cade and Curtis left to the Mountain, they became heroes. They lived in an abandoned church for a few days then left to grab a bite to eat. As soon as they got back, they discovered the church was on fire, and several young children were trapped inside. They jumped in and saved the children. Cade became paralyzed from the waist down when a piece of lumber fell on his back; he later passed away in the hospital.

Cade stabbing Sheldon turned out to be self-defense. Ponyboy Curtis later went on saying that he killed Robert but according to witnesses, he did not. He was just a little shaken up about the death of his friend, Johnny Cade.

When asked how she felt about Robert’s death, Sherri Valance replied, “Bob was a real nice feller’. He could be just plain mean but he usually showed his kind side to me. I was really depressed when I heard that he died but I know that Johnny was only trying to protect Ponyboy when he stabbed Bob, so I don’t blame him. I wish that I could’ve been there to stop him but, what’s done is done and we all have to move on sooner or later.”

“I was heartbroken when I heard about poor ol’ Johnny’s death. He died while trying to save other lives and he truly is a hero. At first, I blamed him for Bob’s dyin’ and all, but then I realized how he had no other choice but to watch Ponyboy die, so I came around and told Ponyboy to wish him a quick recovery which, sadly, never happened. But everythin’ happens for a reason, that’s what I believe.” Those were Valance’s wonderful words of wisdom that we should always keep in our hearts and remember.

A Secret Revealed: Johnny Cade’s Abusive Parents

RECENTLY—It was reported by Johnny Cade’s neighbour, Edith Brown and Charles Brown that Cade’s parents, Mary Cade and Arnold Cade have been showing bad parenting behaviours, yelling, hitting and abuse.                                                                                                                         Edith Brown started hearing frequent yelling and stomping and when Charles Brown didn’t believe her, it turned out that one night, Charles and Edith heard a loud “help” after a tremendous noise and Charles saw Arnold through the window hitting Johnny while Mary was yelling at Johnny with a plate and food in her hands.                                                                  

After the incident, investigators went for a visit to their house to examine for unusual things. But, Mary and Arnold refused to let them in the first time. Later, the investigators came back two days later with people from the child care security center and Arnold had to let them in.     At Mary and Arnold’s house, investigators found evidence of child abuse. There were several strands of hair, broken dishes, broken wooden sticks, two ropes and a ripped up book. Some blood stains were also left smudged on the couch and bathrooms.                                                     

 Mary and Arnold Cade are scheduled to go to the judge, this Wednesday, for a discussion. There were several reports about Johnny’s abuse before but this is the first time the actual decision will be made about Johnny and his parents and whether Johnny will stay with his parents or their parents go to prison.                                                                                             

The final decision will be released on Friday and Cade’s neighbours are looking forward for Johnny to have a life with prospects and no more child abuse.

16-year old Johnny Cade dies and 17-year old, Dallas Winston Robs Grocery Store and Faces a Tragic Death

OKLAHOMA— Johnny Cade has recently died at Charles Hospital and after a teenage boy, Dallas Winston, 17, robbed a grocery store, he faced a tragic death.                                                        

Cade died after saving young children from a flaming church and a few minutes later, Dallas Winston faces a death. Cade was in serious condition before but it wasn’t able to last long and doctors predicted he only had a few hours left.                                                                       

As soon as Winston heard the news about his friend’s, Johnny Cade, 16, death, it was heard that he rushed out of the hospital towards a grocery store.                                                                    

According to the victim, the cashier, Winston started playing with the magazines and supplies and started ripping them apart. When the cashier told Winston that you have to pay for them, Winston didn’t agree and pulled out a gun up to the victim’s forehead. He repeated “give me all of the money” to the cashier. Winston ran away with the money when the cashier pulled out a gun and tried to shoot him. When he ran up to a lot, the cops were after him and it was told that Winston raised the gun up to the police. The police shot Winston three times and he dropped to the floor.                                                                                                                                                         

Police found the gun Winston was holding, wasn’t loaded and the cashier also shot Winston’s arm.                                                                                                                                                              Darrel Curtis, 20, Winston’s friend said, “Johnny was the only thing he has ever loved, although he has been in fights and have had disturbing pasts, he was a loyal friend and we will never forget him.”                                                                                                                                                     

Sadly, Curtis’ friends have lost two of their valuable friends and we are hoping a tragedy like this will never happen in our community again.            

Gangster fight in Central Park

On Friday, November 5^rd 1995, a numerous amount of witnesses called police to report a ‘brawl’ happening in Central Park. According to several of them, it seemed as if there were two teams going at each other using nothing but their own fists.

 One of the witnesses didn’t get too close to the fight because they didn’t want to get involved but stayed long enough to recognize Ponyboy Curtis in the midst of the battle. Curtis was one of the two heroes who saved many young children from a church fire several days earlier. He was still recovering from minor burns and many are wondering why he was fighting.

The judges are still wondering if they will have to send him and his brother, Sodapop Curtis, to a boy’s home. Only one witness had seen Ponyboy there, so it is debatable because the witness has no alibi and may be fibbing.

After the police got about four calls about the conflict, they showed up to find an empty park. They did find blood on the grass and also scraps of ripped clothing lying around. Some officers were sent to drive around the area and maybe find a witness or someone involved.

Close to the park, a torn up boy was found walking home to the west side of town. His sweater was ripped up and he had blood dripping from his mouth. When he caught sight of the police, he tried to run away but was too drained. He was taken in for questioning but claimed that he had no idea of what happened in Central Park that night. His explanation of how he looked was simply that he had fallen down the stairs near the fountain at the park, ripped his sweater, and cut his mouth. He was walking home because he had no transportation.

Detectives are unsure of whether to believe the young man’s story but have no evidence to believe otherwise. We are sure something happened that night, so read our next paper to uncover the next clues.

Ponyboy Curtis and Robert Sheldon-Greasersand Socs

OKLAHOMA—According to some of Robert Sheldon’s friends, there have been two groups called “Greasers” and “Socs” between Ponyboy Curtis and Sheldon. “Greasers” were apparently a group where Curtis belonged in, including Johnny Cade and Dally Winston. The “Socs” were a group where Sheldon and Sherri Valance have also belonged in.

There has been a boundary between these groups and fights, recent deaths and rumbles have occurred.

But are these two groups really different? No. As ‘The Outsider Times’ held a few interviews, surveys and compared the results, the “Greasers” and “Socs” didn’t really have a big difference.                        

We got a very surprising result and found out that the only major difference was if they were either rich or poor.

So, we think that the boundary is creating violent situations and we are working on getting some more facts about these two groups

The Death of 17-year-old Robert Sheldon

On October 8^th 1965, a 17-year-old boy was murdered in Central Park. Robert (Bob) Sheldon’s dead body was found lying in a pool of blood at 5am. A woman was taking a walk through the park and discovered the bloody corpse, she dialed 911 right away.

Sheldon’s friends were there during the homicide, but decided not to call the police because they were drunk and they were scared after seeing him dead. According to them, the murderer was a 16-year-old boy named Johnny Cade.

Sheldon and his friends were driving around town at about 3-4am, while they were drunk, and saw Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade walking in Central Park. Sheldon was angry at them for watching a movie with his girlfriend (Sherri Valance) and went towards them. When he got close to them, he grabbed Ponyboy’s head, stuffed it into the fountain and tried to drown him.

Cade watched his best friend, Curtis, being drowned and pulled out a knife and stabbed Sheldon. Sheldon fell to the ground and Ponyboy lifted his head from the fountain. Randy Adderson, Roberts’s friend, said that that was the last thing him and his friends saw because they ran away and drove home.

Police showed up at 5:13am and investigated the scene. Cade and Curtis were nowhere to be found and Curtis’s older brother also called police and reported him missing. Detectives and search parties searched the whole town, but the boys were still missing.

Where did Curtis and Cade go?  Are they hiding from authorities? Did Robert’s friends catch up with them and do something to them? We do not know yet, but we will surely find out.

Hero in serious conditions

Hero, Johnny Cade, is in deadly conditions after saving young children from a church fire. The noble young greaser jumped into the fiery, abandoned church after his friend, Ponyboy Curtis who suffered from mild burns. The act was remarkable but it also came with many risks. Every hero pays a price, just like this magnificent life saver did.

Johnny ‘The Hero’ Cade suffered from several burns and a broken back, he was paralyzed from the waist down. While in the burning church, a piece of wood fell on him, causing his back injury. Doctors are still unsure whether he will live through it, but anything is possible for a hero!

We asked Ponyboy Curtis about Cade’s conditions, he replied, “Johnny ain’t lookin’ too good, an’ I don’t wanna talk ‘bout it if y’all don’t mind. He’s my best friend and I’m worried ‘bout him, all of us are. Ya’ll should jus’ leave him alone, he needs some rest.” And walked away. Curtis had helped save the children and was as much of a hero as Cade was.

Mary Cade, Cade’s mother was spotted in the waiting room arguing with a nurse. When asked about her feelings for her son, she said, “I spent 16 years torturin’-I mean lovin’ an’ carin’ for that boy and he won’t even let me in to see him! This is outrageous! I demand for them to let me in!” she said as she turned to the nurse. Mrs. Cade was not permitted in the recovery room because it would be against Cade’s wishes.

It is clear that Johnny is not well, but all the staff at ‘The Outsider Times’ wish Johnny a happy recovery. We hope that everyone can overlook his reputation as a greaser and join in with us.

  

Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heroes

As you may know, Ponyboy Curtis and Johnny Cade are heroes for saving a group of young children from a fire. They jumped into the flaming Church when they heard the cries of the children. Why were the heroes near the church at the time? You may ask. Well, we had no idea until we had a one-on-one interview with one of the heroes, Ponyboy Curtis.

Apparently, the boys had been living in the abandoned church on Jay Mountain for several days. They were trying to escape authorities after murdering Robert Sheldon, in what Curtis claimed was ‘self defense’. He explained that Sheldon was drowning him, so Cade took out his switchblade and stabbed his back to save Ponyboy.

 Then, the boys took off to Jay Mountain. Curtis claimed no one else had helped them, but a witness had seen them entering a party. It must have been after the homicide because the witness said Curtis was drenched in water. The next morning Ponyboy’s older brother, Darrel, called the police and stated that Curtis was nowhere to be found.

According to Ponyboy Curtis, a regular day in the vacant church went like this:

·         You wake up after a night of sleeping on the cold floor with a sore back and frostbitten fingers and toes.

·         Get a drink and clean yourself up with cold water from a pump located outside.

·          The boys had to stay inside and hide from hikers. Curtis usually read a copy of ‘Gone with the wind’ out loud for Cade to hear and to pass time.

·         They usually ate baloney and loaves of bread for every meal.

Curtis and Cade had both cut their hair, while Curtis also bleached his blonde. They did this so they wouldn’t look like their pictures in the paper and they wouldn’t get caught.

One day, they went out to eat to Windrixville with their friend, Dallas Winston who picked them up, (and somehow knew where they were) and when they came back they discovered the blazing church. They spoke to a nearby teacher and found out that there were children in the scorching building.

They saved all the children but each hero payed a price. Ponyboy suffered from minor burns while Cade had 3^rd degree burns, a broken back and is currently paralyzed from the waist down. We thank these heroes for saving the lives of these small children.

We only know half of the story but when we uncover more, you know that ‘The Outsider Times’ is the first place to check.